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South Africa Moves Ahead in Its Nuclear Program; Celebrates 50 Years of Nuclear Research
24 March 2015
EIRNS — No amount of bullying has distracted the government of South Africa from its commitment to embark on a large-scale nuclear build program. The Department of Energy announced on March 22 that it will hold its third and final nuclear vendor workshop the last week in March, with Canada and Japan presenting their offerings for building new nuclear power plants. South Africa will then have a tender process for the procurement of equipment and skills to build the 9,600 MW of new nuclear capacity that is in its energy plan. The first workshop was held with Russia last October, and with France, China, the U.S., and South Korea last November. "Government remains committed to ensure energy security for the country through the roll-out of the nuclear new build program as an integral part of the energy mix," the Department statement said. Proud of its nuclear accomplishments, on March 18th, the government celebrated the 50th anniversary of the South Africa Fundamental Atomic Research Installation (Safari) research reactor, which was built under Atoms for Peace. In 1993, the new African National Congress government ended the colonial nuclear weapons program, and the reactor was dedicated to the production of medical and industrial isotopes. South Africa is the fourth-largest provider of medical isotopes in the world, which are used in about 10 million medical procedures in more than 60 countries, each year. The reactor is the world’s leading producer of Molybdenum-99, the radioisotope used the most in diagnostic nuclear medicine. In his remarks at the anniversary dinner, President Jacob Zuma recalled the political fight being waged when the reactor was established, as South Africans fought for the end of the apartheid colonial regime. Zuma said: "This child was born when there was no peace—1965, I was doing my second year in Robben Island [prison].... We are celebrating today when the country is at peace with itself." Marsha Freeman |
